SAN DIEGO — On Saturday night, the Padres led after one batter in the bottom of the first inning. These days, that appears to be all their pitching staff requires.
Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a leadoff home run in the first and finished the game with a leaping catch in the ninth. In the meantime, the San Diego pitching staff was once again on point.
The Padres pitched to a 2-0 victory over the Rockies at Petco Park, their fifth shutout in their first 15 games. Kyle Hart did the majority of the work on the mound, pitching six scoreless frames of one-hit ball before the bullpen shut it down.
Jason Heyward added a solo homer in the fifth, his first since joining the club. However, the Padres never needed the insurance. They became the first team since the 2015 Athletics to have five shutouts in their first 15 games of the season.
“It’s not a surprise,” said catcher Martín Maldonado. “These pitchers have been like this for a while. They believe in their work. It’s the result of everyone’s efforts, including the guys who write the reports, [pitching coach] Ruben [Niebla], the entire pitching staff, [bullpen coach Ben] Fritz, and our communication since spring training. “It’s a combination of everything.”
The Padres’ pitching has been nothing short of spectacular, particularly at Petco Park, where they’ve recorded all five shutouts. The Padres have yet to lose a home game this season. Their overall record is 12-3, the best in the majors.
“It builds,” said Padres manager Mike Shildt. “There are a variety of reasons why you pitch well. Obviously, you have talented pitchers. But we’ve prepared pitchers. We have pitchers who, for the most part, control the strike zone and counts.
Hart did very little of that in his last appearance. He lasted only two-thirds of an inning at Wrigley Field last Sunday, frequently failing to find the strike zone and walking four batters in the first inning.
This was a very different version of Hart. He was efficient, and his commands were precise. Hart struck out four Rockies and allowed no walks. Kyle Farmer’s only blemish was a fourth-inning double.
“That was probably the most embarrassed I’ve been on a baseball field in a long time,” Hart said about his debut in Chicago. “A lot of my friends and family drove 8-10 hours to watch that game. I felt sick all week. So it felt good to get back out there and give the team another chance.”
Hart accomplished more than that. He had only thrown 74 pitches and could have probably pitched into the seventh inning. However, the San Diego bullpen has been the best in baseball over the first few weeks. No Padres reliever has entered a game with a lead and then given it up this season. As a result, Hart was perfectly content to hand over the ball after six scoreless minutes.
“Just give them a chance to shut these games down,” Hart told the crowd. “You’d be an idiot not to realize how strong they are right now and not realize how many dogs we have down there.”
On Saturday, the Padres stuck to their usual formula. Jeremiah Estrada, Jason Adam, and Robert Suarez pitched scoreless seventh, eighth, and ninth innings, respectively. San Diego’s bullpen ERA of 1.51 remains the best in the majors. Its staff ERA is 2.86, trailing only the Mets.
“Our pitching staff has been doing a great job, [from top] to bottom,” says Tatis. “It’s enjoyable to play defense behind them. They keep you in the game. They continue pounding the strike zone. When they do that, we’re all in lockdown.”
Tatis especially. Prior to his 13th career leadoff home run, he made a sliding catch to prevent the first batter of the game, Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, from reaching base. Tatis would go on to finish the game with a spectacular catch.
Suarez had a rare off night (by his high standards). He recently became the first pitcher in Padres history to start a season with six consecutive hitless innings. But he gave up two hits on Saturday, and nearly a third.
With the tying runs on base in the ninth, Kris Bryant hit a line drive into the right-field corner. Tatis tracked it down and leaped at the wall, completing yet another shutout victory. It is becoming the norm.
